petfoodpro 3/2023

PROCESSING
Another customization to ensure
convenient and time-saving operation
of the two large industrial machines
is that the side-by-side grinders are
connected via a central operating
platform. This allows both grinders to
be reached via a single working area.
A laser level monitor checks whether
the hopper is full – if so, loading stops.
If the hopper is empty, the worms
run briefly and then also switch off
automatically – a convenient feature
for optimizing production processes
and protecting the cutting sets.
A single machine type for
two different tasks
The two K+G Wetter industrial grinders
fulfil two different tasks in VetConcept’s
wet feed production: One of the AW 280s
is only used to produce coarse material
between 16 and 25 mm – i.e. what cats
and dogs later find as meat pieces in their
feeding bowls.
The second grinder is primarily used
to process products containing bones.
“Wherever possible, we use bones and
cartilage as a natural source of calcium
in our feed. This replicates how animals
would eat naturally,” reports Arthur
Schäfer. “In order to mince such extremely
hard material to a size of 7 to 8 millimeters,
the grinder used must be sufficiently
powerful and robust.” A task that the AW
280 masters effortlessly before the
bone mass is fed onwards into the
emulsifier after grinding.
Effortless processing
– from frozen meat
block to fresh meat
Processing frozen blocks
of meat presents another
special challenge for the
machines. Here, the K+G
Wetter grinders score with
a feeder worm that has a
peeling edge: It already precuts
the blocks as they are fed
towards the meat worm, without
squeezing them. The speed is infinitely
adjustable, as required. The result is a
clean and clear cut with no smearing and
a minimal temperature increase of just
1°C to a maximum of 2°C.
Each of the K+G grinders is also equipped
with a pre-cutter support assembly that
counteracts the high pressure on the
cutting set during grinding. “This makes
absolute sense, because the support
assembly on the pre-cutter plays a key
role in minimising the pressure buildup,”
says Arthur Schäfer. “On the one
hand, providing support from the outside
increases the service life of the cutting
sets, while also noticeably reducing the
number of sharpening cycles on the
other. Especially important is the fact that
the quality of the ground meat in terms of
cutting pattern, texture and temperature
is always first-class.”
Perfect hygiene ensures
product safety
Efficiently ensuring perfect hygiene
is equally as crucial in animal feed
production as it is in the food industry.
This is why all K+G Wetter machines
are consistently optimized for hygienic
design. “Of course, from a production
sequence perspective, it must be possible
to quickly and easily clean the machines
perfectly between batches. K+G Wetter
grinders are excellent in this respect,”
confirms plant manager Schäfer. “Since
we produce special dietary food for
cats and dogs, we need to separate the
batches stringently. For example, we
produce mono-protein varieties such as
horse, kangaroo and goat. This means
that the machine must be super clean
throughout when switching batches, in
order to protect sensitive and allergic
animals from exposure to unwanted
proteins.”
To make cleaning easier for the team, a
clean-in-place (CIP) system is installed
throughout the production hall. This
allows each machine to be cleaned at
any time in a single operation using hot
water at 60°C, or even foam, via pipes
and hoses. Thanks to the closed housing
made of hand-polished stainless steel and
carefully polished, smooth weld seams,
the grinders themselves possess optimal
cleaning characteristics and can be
cleaned quickly and thoroughly right into
the last corner. “Cleaning is carried out by
our employees themselves,” emphasizes
Arthur Schäfer. “This is important to me,
because their daily experience tells them
which areas need the most attention. In
the evening, the machines all look like
they’ve just been installed.”
The CIP system can also be connected
directly to the grinders; the appropriate
valves have been fitted for this purpose:
“We have converted the rinsing chamber
so that our system’s connections fit. Foam
is then introduced, followed by warm
water – the system functions well,” says
Arthur Schäfer. This rinsing chamber is
installed as a special hygienic solution
as standard in all K+G Wetter grinders.
Some background: During the grinding
process, the product is conveyed through
the cutting set under very high pressure.
Liquid product components or even small
product particles can be forced through
the seals into the inside of the machine
against the cutting set. These particles
are collected in the rinsing chamber
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